IN  COMMON  COUNCIL 

FEBRUARY  28th,  1831. 


Mr.  Townsend  presented  the  following  Communication  from 
the  Committee  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History  of  the 
City  of  J\cw  York,  in  answer  to  an  enquiry  from  ]\lr. 
Townsend  on  the  Source,  Quality  and  Purity  of  the 
Water  on  this  Island,  which  was  laid  on  the  table  and 
directed  to  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  members. 

J.  MORTON,  Clerk. 


New-York,  February  17,  1831. 

SIR, 

The  Common  Council  have  taken  into  consideration  the  im- 
portant subject  of  supplying  the  city  with  a  pure  and  wholesome 
water.  As  one  of  the  committee  on  that  subject,  I  beg  leave  to 
enquire  of  the  excellent  institution  over  which  you  preside, 
and  in  whose  valuable  labours  I  feel  a  deeper  interest  from  hav- 
ing been  one  of  its  founders,  whether  you  have,  in  your  re- 
searches, examined  the  chemical  constitution  of  the  springs  of 
this  island,  the  matters  with  which  they  are  impregnated,  and 
the  effect  which  the  geological  stratifications  of  the  Island 
or  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  may  have  in  deteriorating  their  qua- 
lities. 


2 


it 


Any  information  in  your  possession  on  this  important  matter 
will  be  extremely  acceptable  at  this  moment,  and  it  would  give 
me  great  pleasure  to  communicate  the  same  to  the  Common 
Council. 

Very  respectfully  your  obH.  servt. 

P.  S.  TOWNSEND. 
The  President  of  Lyceum  of  Natural  History. 


Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  February  22,  1831. 
To  Assistant  Alderman  Townsend, 
SIR, 

The  undersigned  have  been  appointed  a  committee  to  reply 
to  your  letter  of  the  18th  instant,  addressed  to  the  Lyceum  of 
Natural  History,  in  which  you  have  requested  some  definite 
information  as  to  the  source,  quantity,  and  purity  of  the  wa- 
ter on  this  island.  The  very  short  space  of  time  required  for 
an  answer  will  prevent  us  from  entering  into  those  minute  de- 
tails which  you  may  have  expected,  and  which  the  importance 
of  the  subject  demands.  Your  communication  embraces  in  fact 
a  much  wider  field  of  enquiry,  but  we  shall  confine  ourselves 
to  those  topics  alone  which  are  more  immediately  connected 
with  the  pursuits  of  our  society. 

The  phenomenon  presented  by  springs  or  wells  of  water 
have  given  rise  to  many  intricate  questions,  exercising  the  in- 
genuity and  often  deranging  the  speculations  of  philosophers. 
It  is  only  in  more  recent  times  when  the  position  and  nature  of 
rocks  have  been  attentively  studied,  that  this  subject  has  been 
freed  from  the  mystery  and  embarrassment  in  which  it  was  for- 
merly involved.  Almost  every  spring  or  well  of  water  on  the 
globe  (it  is  now  ascertained)  must  be  studied  by  itself  in  order 
to  understand  thoroughly  its  source  and  all  the  circumstances 
connected  with  its  overflow.  It  fortunately  happens  however 
that  on  this  island,  springs  or  wells  of  water  are  presented  to 
us  in  the  simplest  form,  and  of  these,  we  shall  now  proceed  to 
treat. 

1.  Of  the  source  of  all  the  Water  on  this  Island. 

The  first  and  most  important  consideration  is  the  nature  of 
the  loose  soil  or  earth  on  the  surface,  and  the  composition  and 
arrangement  of  the  rocks  beneath  upon  which  this  earth  rests, 

AVB 
DUR: 


3 


This  Island,  as  you  are  aware,  consists  (with  the  exception  of 
a  small  portion  near  Kingsbridge)  of  a  rock  of  uniform  nature. 
Immediately  upon  this  rock  is  a  bed  of  sand  which  is  of  un- 
equal thickness,  and  upon  this  sand  and  gravel  the  city  is  built. 

The  rock  is  known  by  geologists  under  the  name  of  gneiss 
or  stratified  granite,  and  as  it  is  among  the  lowest  rocks  ever 
found,  it  has  been  considered  as  the  first  created,  and  accord- 
ingly has  been  called  a  primordial  or  primitive  rock.  In  what- 
ever part  of  the  world  we  dig,  we  may  be  sure,  after  passing 
through  all  other  kinds  of  rock  (of  which  there  are  about  fifty  in 
number)  of  arriving  at  last  to  a  rock  of  the  same  nature  with  that 
whichunderlies  this  city.  Itfreqently  however  happens  that  only 
a  few  rocks  are  found  lying  upon  the  gneiss  or  stratified  granite, 
and  in  many  places  it  rises  to  the  surface  not  covered  by  any 
other  rock  whatever.  Upon  such  a  denuded  or  uncovered  rock 
stands  the  city  of  New-York.  The  committee  are  not  prepar- 
ed to  indicate  the  precise  situation  of  the  adjoining  rocks,  as 
the  rivers  conceals  on  each  side  their  place  of  contact,  and  it 
would  be  requisite  to  enter  into  much  geological  detail  to  show 
their  probable  arrangement.  With  this  preliminary  explana- 
tion we  are  now  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  enquiry  concerning 
the  origin  of  the  springs  upon  this  island.  The  only  source 
of  fresh  water  is  from  the  atmosphere  from  which  it  falls  in 
the  form  of  rain,  hail  and  snow,  having  been  previously  car- 
ried up  from  the  surface  by  evaporation.  When  the  earthy  and 
stony  beds  or  strata  are  of  a  soft  porous  nature,  and  differ 
among  themselves  in  their  structure  and  composition,  the  rains 
soak  through  the  more  porous  or  spongy  rocks  until  its  further 
course  downwards  is  finally  arrested  by  the  more  compact  ones. 
This  is  a  matter  of  too  common  observation  to  be  insisted 
upon,  and  explains  why  in  our  researches  for  water  we  are 
often  compelled  to  dig  to  great  depths,  at  the  same  time,  an 
acquintance  with  the  structure  and  composition  of  rocks  should 
prevent  us  from  perforating  rocks,  which  from  their  very  na- 
ture and  position  cannot  be  expected  to  furnish  water.  All  the 
Avater  which  falls  on  this  island  is  then  first  absorbed  by  the 
sand  through  which  it  trickles  until  it  meets  with  the  solid  rock 
which  it  softens  to  the  depth  of  a  few  feet,  and  then  makes  no 
farther  progress.  This  sand  overlying  the  rock,  is  the  recipi- 
ent of  all  the  water  which  falls  on  the  surface.  It  is  in  this 
sand  that  all  our  wells  are  sunk,  and  we  accordingly  find  that 
where  the  bed  of  sand  is  not  deep,  water  is  met  with  (when 
any  is  present,)  at  only  a  few  feet  from  the  surface.  This  rock 
is  also  free  from  metallic  veins.  Such  veins  are  however  some- 
times found,  but  they  are  of  rare  occurrence  and  inconsidera- 
ble in  size.  Their  presence  in  a  well  sunk  into  this  rock  is  al- 
ways known  by  the  taste  and  appearance  of  the  water.  The 
two  wells  recently  sunk  into  the  rock  in  the  rear  of  the  City- 
Hall  are  instances  of  this  kind,  and  others  of  a  similar  nature 
might  be  adduced  if  necessary.    It  has  been  urged  by  some 


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persons  that  water  must  be  found  in  our  rock,  because  mines, 
some  of  which  are  in  a  primitive  rock  nearly  resembling  this, 
are  often  filled  with  water.  This  water  upon  examination  will 
be  found  to  proceed  from  the  more  porous  rocks  above,  or 
when  these  rocks  are  wanting-,  from  accidental  fissures  leading 
the  water  from  above  into  the  artificial  cavities  made  by  the 
miners.  We  have  no  data  readily  at  hand  to  be  enabled  to  state 
the  amount  of  water  raised  from  one  of  these  mines,  but  it  must 
be  inconsiderable,  when  regarded  as  a  source  of  supply  for  a 
population  of  200,000  inhabitants.  Even  if  it  should  be  con- 
ceded that  one  of  these  mines  furnished  an  abundant  supply,  it 
remains  to  be  proved  that  our  gneiss  rock  is  penetrated  with  as 
numerous  and  as  large  mineral  veins,  and  then  it  would  be  ne- 
cessary to  make  excavations  as  extensive  as  in  the  mines  al- 
luded to.  The  position  of  rocks  is  also  a  matter  of  primary 
importance  in  reference  to  the  subject  of  springs  of  water.  By 
position  is  meant  the  manner  in  which  rocks  are  arranged  with 
respect  to  each  other  and  among  themselves.  Thus,  limestone 
of  a  particular  kind,  occurs  in  horizontal  beds  or  strata,  and 
many  rocks  are  found  nearly  upright.  The  gneiss  of  this 
Island  has  its  strata,  nearly  vertical  or  upright,  and  these  are 
so  closely  united,  that  the  separation  is  barely  visible  to  the 
eye.  It  is  not  then  from  these  crevices  or  partings  that  we  are 
to  expect  a  supply  of  water.  We  shall  close  our  remarks  on 
the  nature  of  this  rock,  with  the  fact  that  it  is  free  from  those 
natural  cavities  observed  in  some  other  stony  strata. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  nature  of  the  earthly  covering  over 
the  rock  of  this  Island.  We  have  said  that  this  consists  en- 
tirely of  sand,  and  this  may  be  verified  over  the  whole  Island. 
There  are,  however,  at  some  places  along  the  East  Kiver,  ex- 
tensive deposits  of  mud.  At  these  places  the  rock  has  not  been 
elevated  to  its  usual  height,  and  of  course  has  been  a  conve- 
nient receptacle  for  this  deposit.  At  Manhattan  Island,  there 
has  been  observed,  first  a  deposit  of  sand,  then  a  layer  of  mud, 
underneath  this  another  sand  bed,  and  lastly,  the  usual  rock. — 
These  facts  are  introduced  here,  (and  many  others  might  be 
cited)  not  as  having  any  important  bearing  upon  the  question, 
but  as  exceptions  to  the  general  rule  that  the  whole  Island  is 
covered  by  a  bed  of  sand.  We  must  again  repeat,  that  all  the 
water  obtained  from  our  wells  is  derived  wholly  and  exclusively 
from  the  atmosphere  We  think  it  necessary  to  do  this,  as 
there  is  a  very  prevalent  idea,  that  the  salt  water  from  our  rivers 
penetrates  through  the  sand  and  appears  in  our  wells  in  the 
form  of  fresh  water.  Those  who  have  adopted  this  opinion  are 
not  aware  that  by  no  process  of  straining  or  filtration,  can  salt 
water  be  rendered  fresh.  The  saline  ingredients  are  not  like 
animal  and  vegetable  matters  which  are  merely  suspended  in 
the  water;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  chemically  combined  with 
the  water,  and  can  only  be  separated  from  it  by  chemical  pro- 
cesses. No  chemical  process  which  could  produce  this  sepa- 
ration, is  known  to  be  going  on  under  this  Island. 


5 


This  theory  of  infiltration  has  been  supposed  to  be  confirmed 
because  on  this  Island,  fresh  water  is  obtained  as  soon  as  we 
dig  to  the  level  of  the  tide.  This  may  be  briefly  explained, 
The  sand  bank  resting  upon  the  rock  of  this  Island,  is  satu- 
rated or  soaked  to  a  certain  distance  from  the  rock  with  fresh 
water  from  the  surface.  This  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the 
heavy  salt  water,  which  acts  as  a  barrier  or  dam,  and  hinders 
the  fresh  water  from  flowing  off  altogether.  Hence  at  places 
near  this  barrier  the  wells  although  fresh,  rise  and  fall  with  the 
tide  ;  for  when  the  tide  falls,  the  fresh  water  thus  hemmed  in, 
must  fall,  because  its  area  is  diminished,  and  the  fresh  water  in 
the  well  accordingly  rises. 

At  places  more  remote  from  this  barrier  these  effects  are 
transmitted  of  course,  so  slowly,  that  before  a  change  of  tide 
could  affect  a  distant  well,  another  change  of  an  opposite  cha- 
racter would  be  in  operation.  The  very  fact  that  we  are  obliged 
to  dig  through  a  comparatively  dry  sand  until  we  reach  the 
tide  level  is  a  strong  confirmation  of  the  existence  of  this  bar- 
rier. Instead  then  of  supposing  that  our  wells  are  furnished 
from  the  river,  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  that  much  of 
our  fresh  water  is  carried  off*  into  the  river.  The  phenomena 
of  fresh  water  springs  in  the  beds  of  rivers  are  susceptible  of 
easy  explanation,  as  they  occur  in  the  neighborhood  of  this 
Island. 

2.  Of  the  Quantity  of  Water  on  this  Island. 

The  result  of  a  series  of  meteorological  observations  gives 
us  annually  a  fall  of  water  equal  to  36  inches,  and  the  surface 
of  the  Island  is  about  12,000  acres.  This  gives  us  an  annual 
amount  of  eleven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty  millions 
six  hundred  and  twelve  thousand  gallons.  But  when  it  is  pro- 
posed to  ascertain  the  available  amount  of  water,  we  must  make 
the  following  deductions, 

1.  The  loss  by  evaporation. 

2.  That  portion  which  falls  upon  naked  rocks,  or  into  natu- 
ral channels  on  the  surface,  and  is  carried  off  into  the  river. 

3.  That  portion  which  is  prevented  from  penetrating  the  sur- 
face by  the  intervention  of  artificial  means,  such  as  pavements 
and  dwellings. 

4.  And  lastly,we  must  deduct  all  that  portion  which,  although 
absorbed  by  the  sand,  is  not  retained  because  it  lies  above  the 
tide. 

It  is  then  evidently,  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge,  a 
matter  of  extreme  difficulty,  to  offer  any  accurate  estimate  of 
the  quantity  of  water,  which  (after  making  these  deductions) 
would  remain  for  the  use  of  the  city. 

This  water,  where  the  nature  of  the  surface  permits,  forms 
ponds  or  basins  of  water,  whose  size  depends  upon  the  extent 


6 


of  surface  of  the  ground,  which  slopes  towards  these  natural 
reservoirs. 

Such  reservoirs  exist  in  various  parts  of  the  island,  but  they 
are  too  limited  in  their  drainage  surface  to  be  recommended  as 
capable  of  affording  any  adequate  supply.  In  the  natural 
course  of  events  they  would  be  surrounded  by  streets  and 
dwellings,  which  would  lessen  the  quantity,  and  seriously  im- 
pair the  quality  of  their  water.  This  may  diminish  the  regret 
which  has  often  been  inconsiderately  expressed,  since  one  of 
the  largest  of  these  natural  basins,  (the  Collect,)  has  been  filled 
up  and  built  upon.  At  the  period  when  this  was  open,  there 
was  no  city  above  it;  and  the  surface  was  in  its  natural  condi- 
tion for  imbibing  and  conducting  the  water  to  this  basin.  At 
present,  pavements  and  dwellings  oppose  a  barrier  to  the  ab- 
sorption of  water,  and  the  levelling  of  the  hills  have  greatly 
affected  the  quantity  and  direction  of  its  drainage. 

We  come  now  to  that  part  of  your  letter  requesting  infor- 
mation as  to  the  purity  of  our  waters,  a  subject  upon  which 
there  is  a  wide  difference  of  opinion.  This,  however,  must  al- 
ways be  the  case  where  habitual  use,  local  prejudice  and  the 
fallacious  criterion  of  taste,  is  substituted  for  the  unerring  re- 
sults of  chemical  analysis. 

3.  Of  the  Purity  of  the  New  York  Waters. 

All  waters,  it  is  well  known,  which  are  not  decidedly  of  a 
mineral  character,  are  divided  into  two  classes,  hard  and  soft. 
"With  the  latter  we  have  nothing  to  do  in  the  present  communi- 
cation, as  none  of  it  occurs  in  the  thickly  settled  parts  of  the 
island.  Hard  waters  are  such  as  contain  a  sensible  quantity  of 
foreign  ingredients,  the  chief  ofwhich  are  Carb.  of  Lime,  Sulph. 
Lime,  (or  Plaster  of  Paris,)  Mur.  Sod.  (or  Common  Salt,)  Mur. 
Magnes.  Iron,  and  Extractive  or  animal  and  vegetable  matter. 
We  accordingly  find  that  all  the  water  in  the  city  contains  these, 
and  occasionally  other  ingredients.  For  the  following  analysis 
of  pump  waters  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  the  Committee  are 
indebted  to  one  of  its  members.  When  it  is  recollected  that 
the  hardest  spring  water  seldom  contains  so  much  as  one  thou- 
sandth part  of  its  weight  of  any  foreign  body  in  solution,  it 
would  seem  that  the  term,  mineral  water,  would  be  a  more  cor- 
rect designation  for  the  ordinary  waters  of  this  city. 

Results  of  analysis  of  various  mineral  and  pump  waters  in 
the  city  of  New-York,  by  George  Chilton,  Chemist : — 

No.  1.  A  pint  of  water  yielded  10  grains  of  solid  matter, 
consisting  of 

Mur.  Magnes.       -       -       -       3  50 
Mur.  Sod.  4 
Sulph.  Lime,        -       -       -       0  25 
Carb.  Lime  and  Magnesia,    -       1  25 


7 


Carb.  Potass  and  Extractive,  0  75 
Loss,  0  25 

Total,  10 

No.  3.  A  pint  yielded  7  grains  of  dry  residue,  consisting  of 

Mur.  Magnes.              *       -  % 

Mur.  Soda,  2 

Sulph.  Lime,  1 

Carb.  Lime  and  Magnes.       -  1  25 

Extractive  Matter  and  Loss,  -  75 

Total,  7 

No.  3.  A  pint  yielded  4  50  grains,  composed  of 
Mur.  Soda,  1 
Mur.  Magnes.  2 
Carb.  Lime,  1 
Sulph.  Lime  and  Extractive,        0  50 

Total,    4  50 

No.  4.    A  pint  yielded  about  4  grains,  composed  of 
Mur.  Lime,  Mag.  and  Extractive,  1  80 
Mur.  Soda,  1 
Sulph.  Lime,        -       -       -       0  25 
Carb.  Lime,  1 

Total,    4  05 

No.  5,  Contained  Sulph.  and  Mur.  Lime,  with  a  little  color- 
ing matter. 

No.  6,  Contained  Sulph.  Lime,  Sulph.  and  Mur.  Soda,  with 
Extractive. 

No.  7,  Was  not  disturbed  by  Nitrate  of  Silver,  Sulph.  Silver, 
Ammonia,  nor  Barytic  Salts. 

From  whence  then  are  derived  those  foreign  ingredients  ?  It 
has  been  already  stated,  that  the  sand  bed  of  this  island  may  be 
regarded  as  a  filter  or  sponge,  which,  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances is  saturated  with  fresh  water  from  the  atmosphere.  If 
this  spongy  mass  was  originally  free  itself  from  any  mineral 
impregnations,  and  its  surface  always  open,  the  water  would  of 
course  remain  pure  for  any  definite  period.  When  this  filter  it- 
self contains  foreign  ingredients,  and  the  free  transmission  of 
pure  water  is  prevented,  its  quality  must  be  impaired.  From 
accurate  data  these  obstacles  to  the  transmission  of  water  from 
the  surface,  by  dwellings  and  pavements,  are  estimated  to  carry 
off  into  the  river  nearly  one  half  of  the  water  which  falls  from 
the  atmosphere.  In  the  neighborhood  of  large  open  squares, 
it  is  consequently  observed  that  the  wells  are  more  pure,  but 


8 


they  must  sooner  or  later  partake  of  the  same  deterioration.- — 
The  water  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  park,  although  very 
impure,  is  nevertheless  of  a  better  kind  than  that  from  more 
distant  wells  ;  and  we  have  been  informed  that  the  well  ot  the 
Manhattan  Company  is  mostly  supplied  from  that  quarter.  It 
has  been  observed,  also,  that  the  vicinity  of  grave  yards  com- 
municates a  ropy  appearance  to  the  water  ;  and  the  water  from 
such  wells  becomes,  in  warm  weather,  very  offensive  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours.  If  the  above  facts  be  well  founded, 
we  must  naturally  anticipate  a  deterioration  of  our  waters,  pro- 
ceeding pari  passu,  with  the  increase  of  the  city;  and  we  ac- 
cordingly find  this  to  be  the  case.  Until  within  the  last  few 
years  the  water  on  the  elevated  ground  in  Broadway  was  con- 
sidered to  be  the  best  in  the  city.  In  the  progress  of  improve- 
ment, this  water  is  now  hard  and  unpalatable.  Indeed,  we 
know  of  families  living  above  Broome-street,  in  Broadway, 
who  are  now  supplied  throughout  the  year  by  water  carts  from 
the  country;  and  in  the  direction  of  Laurens-street,  we  have 
been  informed  that  this  foreign  supply  is  required  still  farther 
to  the  north  of  Broome-street.  But  we  are  now  to  allude  to 
another  cause,  which  must  greatly  impair  the  purity  of  our  wa- 
ters : — Into  the  sand  bank,  underlying  the  city,  are  daily  depo- 
sited quantities  of  excrementious  matter,  which,  were  it  not 
susceptible  of  demonstration,  would  appear  almost  incredible. 
With  our  present  population,  there  is  put  into  this  sand  about 
100  tons  of  excrement  every  24  hours.  In  these  deposits  we 
may  find  all  the  ingredients  detected  by  analysis,  and  which  de- 
stroy the  purity  of  our  waters.  But  in  this  estimate  we  do  not 
include  an  equal  amount  of  urine,  for  the  following  reason : — 
This  liquid,  when  stale  or  putrid,  has  the  remarkable  property 
of  precipitating  the  earthy  salts  from  their  solution,  or  in  other 
words,  it  makes  hard  waters  soft.  Although  the  fastidious  may 
revolt  from  the  use  of  water  thus  sweetened  to  our  palate,  it  is 
perhaps  fortunate  that  this  mixture  is  daily  taking  place,  for 
otherwise  the  water  of  this  city  would  become,  in  a  much 
shorter  space  of  time  than  it  actually  does,  utterly  unfit  for  do- 
mestic purposes.  We  cannot  take  leave  of  this  part  of  the  sub- 
ject without  adverting  to  the  various  and  contradictory  opinions 
which  have  been  expressed  on  the  purity  of  our  waters.  We 
must  impute  to  long  use,  and  the  influence  of  habit,  the  opinion 
that  our  water  is  sufficiently  pure  for  domestic  purposes.  We 
have  known  our  citizens,  upon  going  into  the  country,  express 
a  marked  disrelish  for  pure  spring  water.  The  popular  expres- 
sion on  such  occasions  is,  "This  water  is  like  wind — there  is 
nothing  substantial  in  it ;  nothing  to  bite  upon."  This  power- 
ful influence  of  habit  is  exemplified  even  among  animals.  At 
one  of  our  watering  places,  (Saratoga,)  cattle  have  been  ob- 
served to  prefer  the  strongest  mineral  water  known,  to  that  de- 
rived from  a  pure  source.  The  coldness  of  our  pump  waters  is 
another  cause  which  conceals  their  impurities  when  swallowed. 


9 


This  may  be  tested  by  allowing  it  to  stand  until  it  has  acquired 
the  ordinary  summer  temperature  :  its  various  ingredients  be- 
come then  manifest,  palpable.  These  impurities  are  not  caused 
by  the  additional  heat ;  they  exist  at  all  times  in  the  water  ;  their 
presence  is  only  disguised  for  the  moment  by  its  coldness,  and 
its  injurious  properties  are  in  no  wise  diminished. 

Your  enquiry  as  to  the  effects  of  impure  water  upon  the  hu- 
man system,  falls  more  properly  within  the  province  of  the 
medical  philosopher  than  the  naturaLst;  we  do  not,  therefore, 
feel  ourselves  called  upon  in  this  place  to  enter  upon  this  sub- 
ject farther  than  to  state,  that  in  several  diseases,  such  as  dys- 
pepsia, and  those  bowel  complaints  of  children,  which  carry 
off  so  many  annually,  the  cure  is  retarded  by  the  daily  use  of 
bad  water.  In  the  latter  disease,  in  particular,  the  mode  of 
cure  often  resorted  to,  is  a  change  of  air,  which  is  supposed  to 
be  the  chief  agent  in  removing  the  disease.  It  is  within  the 
knowledge  of  some  of  the  Committee,  that  the  use  of  pure  wa- 
ter alone,  without  removal,  has  produced  an  almost  immediate 
and  beneficial  change. 

From  all  which  has  been  previously  stated,  you  will  learn 
that  it  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  Committee,  that  no  ade- 
quate supply  of  good  or  wholesome  water  can  be  obtained  on 
this  Island,  for  the  wants  of  a  large  and  rapidly  increasing 
city  like  New  York.  The  various  preforations  which  have 
been  made,  in  the  absence  of  all  other  proof,  would  sufficiently 
establish  this  position.  These  have  been  undertaken  without 
any  acquaintance  with  those  immutable  laws  of  nature,  which 
regulate  the  position  of  rocks,  and  their  utter  uselessness  is 
now  sufficiently  obvious.  They  may  be  carried  to  any  assign- 
able depth  in  this  rock,  and  when  completed  will  be  merely  re- 
servoirs to  receive  the  drainage  from  above. 

If  this  communication  had  not  already  extended  beyond  the 
limits  originally  proposed,  we  should  have  shown  that  there  is 
no  similarity  whatever,  between  the  situation  of  London  and 
New  York,  in  reference  to  the  earthy  and  stony  strata  upon 
which  they  are  respectively  situated.  This  would  have  been 
the  more  desirable,  as  many  otherwise  intelligent  men  have 
supposed,  that  because  water  is  obtained  at  London  by  digging 
several  hundred  feet  through  a  stiff  clay,  we  may  therefore  ob- 
tain it  in  this  city  by  digging  still  deeper  into  the  bosom  of  a 
compact  primiiive  rock.  We  do  not  feel  it  to  be  within  our 
province  to  point  out  the  quarter  from  whence  the  supply  of 
water  should  be  obtained,  but  it  is  clear  that  we  cannot  look  for 
it  on  this  island.  Several  members  of  our  Society  have  ex- 
amined the  manner  in  which  other  cities  in  Europe  and  South 
America  are  supplied,  and  would,  in  their  individual  capacity 
cheerfully  give  all  the  information  required,  upon  a  subject 
which  interests  alike  the  rich  and  the  poor,  those  who  reside  in 
the  lower  wards  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  more  recently  built 
portion  of  the  city.    From  whatever  quarter  the  supply  is  ob- 

ClAttCSf 


10 

tained,  it  must  be  from  places  beyond  all  possibility  of  evex 
being  surrounded  by  a  dense  population.  It  must  also  be  pro- 
cured in  sufficient  abundance  to  provide  for  the  wants,  not  only 
of  the  present,  but  future  generations. 

We  are,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servents, 

JOSEPH  DELAFIELD, 
J.  E.  DEKAY, 
JOHN  TORREY, 
GEORGE  CHILTON, 
T.  DEWEY, 

JER'H.  VAN  RENSSELAER. 


I£x  Hthrta 

SEYMOUR  DURST 

-f  '  Tort  nteuw  ^drnjlerdam-  oj>  Je  Manhatans 

FORT  NEW  AMSTERDAM.                         (NEW  YORK  )  ,  1651. 

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